Sr. Manager, Operations Standards & Audit

Sr. Manager, Operations Standards & Audit

Position Summary

The Senior Manager, Operations Standards & Audit Programs leads the strategy, governance, and continuous improvement of Panera's BSR, FSA, Health Department audits, and pest-management support programs within Operations Services. This leader directly oversees the Manager, Brand Standards Review and Manager, Food Safety Audit, ensuring parallel accountability, consistent governance, effective third-party administration, integrated reporting, operational improvement, and future-solution development.

Location: Newton, MA moving to Weston, MA (hybrid)

Key Responsibilities

Program Strategy & Governance

• Own the integrated strategy, governance, effectiveness, and roadmap for BSR and FSA.
• Establish annual and cycle priorities for content, administration, reporting, communication, and improvement.
• Ensure programs measure Panera brand, operational, food-safety, and regulatory standards.
• Govern assessment additions, removals, revisions, testing, and approvals.

Team & Vendor Leadership

• Lead and develop the BSR and FSA Managers with aligned expectations across both functions.
• Coordinate priorities, resources, calendars, dependencies, and workload.
• Serve as senior business owner for audit and pest-management providers.
• Oversee quality, calibration, scheduling, data accuracy, service levels, contracts, performance, and issue resolution.

Integrated Standards Intelligence

• Evaluate BSR, FSA, Health Department, pest activity, corrective action, and operational information as one view of cafe risk and performance.
• Lead dashboards, scorecards, heat maps, and executive reporting.
• Convert findings into prioritized actions for executives and Operations teams.

Continuous Improvement & Future Solutions

• Lead reviews of recurring findings to identify root causes and systemic opportunities.
• Sponsor improvements to standards, processes, training, tools, equipment, facilities, communications, or technology.
• Oversee pilots, rollout, and measurement of future solutions.
• Present performance, risks, recommendations, and decisions to senior leadership.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.
• 4+ years of experience in restaurant operations, food safety, quality assurance, audit-program management, compliance, operational excellence, or a related field.
• Demonstrated cross-functional program and team-leadership experience.
• Experience managing third-party providers and vendor relationships.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Exceptional project planning, organization, prioritization, and follow-through.
• Strong business acumen, analytical thinking, judgment, and creative problem-solving.
• Ability to influence without authority, navigate ambiguity, and build stakeholder alignment.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and executive presentation skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and project-management tools.
• Ability to travel based on business needs.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Disabled/Veterans

Competitive Pay $136,383 - $163,660 annually

The actual pay offered will be determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and geographical location. Individual compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.

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